According to Investopedia.com, the consumer goods sector consists of “companies that relate to items purchased by individuals rather than by manufacturers and industries. This sector includes companies involved in food production, packaged goods, clothing, beverages, automobiles, and electronics.” Put simply, consumer goods is “stuff.” Your iPad is a consumer good, that weird-looking pair of shoes your teenage son wants is a consumer good, and your car (no matter if it’s brand-new or an old beater) is a consumer good.
What’s interesting from a writer’s perspective is that ever since people have had convenient access to the written word, there has been a need for content written about consumer goods. Think back to the Sears & Roebuck catalog, first published in 1888. Even then, writers were cranking out product descriptions and sharing information about goods. Today, more companies than ever need content of all types, and these types of written content have only expanded. The eternal need for well-written and captivating consumer goods content means that companies will always be looking to hire consumer goods writers.
What’s New With Content Marketing in the Consumer Goods Industry?
Whether you’re a writer who’s focused on writing short and sweet product descriptions, or you turn your efforts towards longer-form content like blogs, articles, and product reports, you know that content marketing is a game changer in the consumer goods field. By delivering content that is timely and customized for your client, you can build the image and authority of the brand you represent.
Probably the biggest trend in content marketing for consumer goods is the rise of visual content. Product descriptions, blogs, ebooks, and other written pieces will still serve a major purpose in the content marketing sphere, but many brands are expanding their content format. You can thank social media networks such as Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube for pushing this change. As a writer, this may mean that you will be asked to create scripts for YouTube videos, or short-form content to go alongside that Instagram or Pinterest post. This may be a slightly different form of writing than many consumer goods writers are used to, but a thorough understanding of the brand is often as vital as knowledge of the “new format.”
What’s Trending in the Consumer Goods Industry
For anyone looking for consumer goods writing insights, checking out current trends is a must. With a topic as broad as consumer goods, it’s pretty difficult to pinpoint overarching trends. (Obviously, the trends in shoes are much different than with craft beers and still different than household electronics.) However, one “broad trend” is the continued growth of the “Internet of Things.” If something can be made smart, it probably is being done. While you may not have a smart microbrew yet, there are smart devices available for every room of a home, and more wearables than most of us can imagine.
Another trend in consumer goods is the “Kickstarter” premise. Many viral products are getting their start each year with a product-launch type setup. Products that would have never been developed years ago (and not for lack of interest or ingenuity) are getting a start today because of pre-launch campaigns.
A final trend that many will notice is something that’s been a long time coming: companies large and small embracing the concept of being environmentally and socially conscious. From the H&M Conscious Collection to TOMS shoes and their “give one, get one” concept, brands large and small are looking beyond up-front profits at the big picture.
Websites and Other Resources for the Consumer Goods Writer
The resources for a writer in the consumer goods niche are seemingly endless. For basic research, an old print standby called Consumer Reports offers an amazing online repository of reviews and data about nearly any product imaginable. Also, major retailers like Amazon and Walmart offer customer reviews that can be a great resource for a personal look at many products.
Pricing is one of the most important aspects of consumer goods. Camel Camel Camel is a product pricing tracker that checks the current and historical price of a product on Amazon. This data can be crucial if you’re working to create “excitement-driven” content for a client.
Finally, MarketResearch.com offers several categories of research reports and industry analysis documents. You can search for a specific brand or product, or just use the main consumer goods category as a base for general content marketing news and research. The information published here is nearly always up-to-date and accurate, so you can feel good about trusting it for your research.
The consumer goods industry is always changing and as such, what’s new with consumer goods writing is always changing too. That means that as a writer, the worst thing you can do is get stuck in a rut. One of the best consumer goods writing tips that can be given to a new writer is that it’s vital to continuously look at what’s new. That will show you how you can best connect products with consumers and companies with customers. Just look at the big players in the industry, and you’ll see that they succeed because they’ve dared to be different. Amazon was once best-known for selling books (and not eBooks either), but they’ve adapted to find new ways to get products into the hands of consumers with Amazon Prime, the “Alexa” assistant, digital downloads, and grocery delivery. You’ll need to adapt too, if you hope to stay on the top of your game in an industry that never stops moving forward.
About the author
Tracy S is a content writer with experience, knowledge, ?and passion. She’s been in the content writing business for nearly ten years and has worked with WriterAccess for over six of those. Tracy prides herself in creating content that consistently exceeds the expectations of every client, and she never hesitates to go the extra mile to get the job done. Tracy is a native English speaker/writer and holds dual degrees in accounting and technical communications.
